I wanted to talk a little bit about our latest set of toys, and if you've been closely following me on instagram you will know that I have recently made the conscious decisions to switch to wooden toys from plastic. The obvious reason being, the planet is overrun with plastic and it is worrying how much plastic we are consuming through our own negligence.
The toys I purchased were intended for 3 year old, but I found 8 year old joined in and has enjoyed playing with these too.
In this post I will be talking about the following:
- Wooden rainbow learning toy
- Melissa and Doug rainbow balance
- Treasure toys Montessori sensory bin scoop and fill wooden starter set
- Toys of Wood, Oxford wooden tangram puzzle for kids
I have found these toys have provided endless play, but more importantly they have offered a lot of learning through play.
Wooden rainbow learning toy
I love the vibrant colourful rainbow. The 7 solid wooden pieces are each a different colour, following the rainbow pattern. The rainbow toy is designed so that each piece can be stacked showing the lovely rainbow either standing up or lying flat. Even though it seems like a simple idea, children are able to understand and appreciate sizes, size differences and why the pieces can only be aligned in a certain way. The wooden rainbow also allows for lots of creativity, with so many designs and children attempting to place each piece in various ways, the designs are limitless. We have also been able to use the rainbow to revise colours, allowing younger sibling to play games such as 'where is red?' 8 year old has enjoyed creating some wonderful design too, and with him I've been able to talk more about rainbows, how they're formed and why we see the colours we do. This has been a win win for both kids!
Melissa and Doug rainbow balance
Initially when I was 'wooden' toy hunting, I honestly thought I'd only find a few blocks, maybe some interesting shapes and that was it. However, I was extremely pleased to find this beautiful rainbow balance. The toy comprises of the balance with 10 blocks. The balance sits beautifully symmetrical, of the 10 blocks 5 blocks are identical to the other 5 blocks, this enables the blocks to sit and create perfect balance. The blocks are green, blue, red, orange and yellow (2 of each), and of varying sizes (same colour are the same size). This toy has opened a new world for 3 year old. At the beginning she simply removed the blocks and placed them in any order, finding it interesting that the toy didn't sit perfectly balanced. She then grouped the blocks, going from longer ones to shortest, and again was curious as to why the balance wasn't quite right. eventually, she understood, in order for the toy to sit neatly, she had to place the same blocks on both sides. However, what is truly wonderful about this toy is the fact that she will continue to experiment with different blocks in different spaces to see what happens. The rainbow balance also comes with 2 double sided cards, with lots of questions on different patterns to try (and make a note whether the pattern worked or not). I've also been able to use the rainbow balance to show ordering according to the size, and work further on colour recognition. 8 year has enjoyed testing the toy, thoroughly enjoyed creating different patterns using the blocks and worked on symmetry. I love toys that work for both kids!
Treasure toys Montessori sensory bin, scoop and fill wooden starter set
I have heard a lot of positives about the Montessori style teaching, so thought this toy should really offer something good. In simple terms, it really is just a wooden toy, wooden tray with 6 different size scoops, 4 pots (varying sizes), one being the bin with a lid. You probably wouldn't guess a 3 and 8 year old playing with something like this for hours on end, but I am thrilled to announce that is the case! I've used a little bit of uncooked rice. Both children have played for hours, literally scooping, tipping, gathering, spreading and so on. They've even pretended the rice is a drink and offered each other 'juice' during picnics, they've cooked 3 course meals and they've dug fossils. This toy has offered so much imaginary play, I truly didn't anticipate such a huge positive response.
The other great thing about the bin, scoop and fill wooden starter is the fact that I've been able to watch 3 year old experiment with trying to fit the rice from the larger pot to the smaller one, she's found it interesting how the two can't hold the same amount, and it is through this type of play she has understood volumes and differences in sizes.
The toy has immensely helped with hand eye coordination, for both kids. We began playtimes with so much rice outside the tray, but now there's barely any on the floor!
Oxford Wooden tangram puzzle for kids
This is simply a wonderful wooden tangram puzzle. The toy comes with a sheet offering so many different designs that can be created. The pieces are a good size for both children, and each piece is a different colour. I do find these puzzles excellent when it comes to strategy and logic. With toys such as these, the children are able to create so many designs, offering an infinite number of designs and hours of play. Again, this is the type of toy that works well for both 3 and 8year old. It's also great to see that this toy can be used with 8 year old when looking into geometry, lots of ideas to be explored, from quadrilateral shapes he can make to acute angles, lines of symmetry and so on. I would honestly use the tangram puzzle set for our maths sessions!
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